TRF418 Indoor Carpet Set up
I've been racing the TRF418 for some time, and the car has been fantastic. The handling of the car is very consistent, and that Tamiya q...
https://www.thercracer.com/2014/04/trf418-indoor-carpet-set-up.html
I've been racing the TRF418 for some time, and the car has been fantastic. The handling of the car is very consistent, and that Tamiya quality has really shined with the car being strong and not suffering any trackside breakages, despite running at least once a week indoors on a track with unforgiving boards.
My weekly club runs on a small track approx 15m x 7.5m. So the racing is always about clean lines and precision as opposed to pure horsepower.
I have been running my car 17.5 blinky against a field of 13.5 cars and the car fairs very well, with me always being in contention to get FTD with the car despite the lack of power. I have been working on the following set-up to ensure the car can carry the speed on the corners and provide a car that is also nice and easy to drive to ensure that I can keep the lap times within a good average.
In playing with the set-up I have discovered that the 418 is great at responding to very small changes, sometimes a 0.5mm shim really just makes that difference.
Roll centre - I raised the rear a little (0.5mm) I tried the high settings that some have done and I really did not like it on our track. In the end this seemed to help the rear on the corner.
Ackerman - Along with the wheelbase being a little closer I also added a 0.5mm to the steering spacer to give an overall 1mm difference. The car was sometimes a bit too keen to oversteer when putting more power down on the exit. Changing the ackerman just added that extra level of calmness to the exit steering without loosing the on power steering.
Wheel spacers - I found these also helped tune the car. The setting above is fine, although if you want a little more in corner steering just take 0.5mm from the front. I am actually keen to get the new Tamiya 0.75mm spacers to be able to fine tune this setting more.
Suspension blocks - Again after playing with the blocks, I don't really like sweep and the feeling it gives, so I moved back to the kit set-up. The rear I tried narrow, and the car didn't feel right to me, it was a little too calm and that was no good for me, and the track I race at. I just moved to a D to still give me good stability on the straight, and a little less drag to help the car get more out of its 17.5 motor.
Centre top deck Screw - Depending on the track and the tyres I remove the screw it its really tight and the grip is down, or if my tyres are on the way out. As a rule however I run it with the screw in.
Shocks - I have drilled the plastic parts in the caps to ensure that the bladder is the only part doing the work.
Other - I do fit the 6mm hubs if I go to a larger carpet track and I want more high speed cornering. I would also be keen to try these when I race outside. Also if I go to a particularly bumpy track, they help the car take the bumps and stay planted.
Overall though, I really am enjoying racing the 418. I find this not only the fastest TRF I have owned, but it is also the easiest to drive. I really enjoy my racing, and to be honest I am enjoying it even more with this car.
My weekly club runs on a small track approx 15m x 7.5m. So the racing is always about clean lines and precision as opposed to pure horsepower.
I have been running my car 17.5 blinky against a field of 13.5 cars and the car fairs very well, with me always being in contention to get FTD with the car despite the lack of power. I have been working on the following set-up to ensure the car can carry the speed on the corners and provide a car that is also nice and easy to drive to ensure that I can keep the lap times within a good average.
In playing with the set-up I have discovered that the 418 is great at responding to very small changes, sometimes a 0.5mm shim really just makes that difference.
Set-up
Some of the changes I made are:
Wheelbase - I shortened it a little to help the car rotate around the tight parts of the circuit. After experimenting I found that 1mm change in wheelbase seemed to make a big difference, at the kit settings the car was great, but it did not always rotate as much as I wanted it to.Roll centre - I raised the rear a little (0.5mm) I tried the high settings that some have done and I really did not like it on our track. In the end this seemed to help the rear on the corner.
Ackerman - Along with the wheelbase being a little closer I also added a 0.5mm to the steering spacer to give an overall 1mm difference. The car was sometimes a bit too keen to oversteer when putting more power down on the exit. Changing the ackerman just added that extra level of calmness to the exit steering without loosing the on power steering.
Wheel spacers - I found these also helped tune the car. The setting above is fine, although if you want a little more in corner steering just take 0.5mm from the front. I am actually keen to get the new Tamiya 0.75mm spacers to be able to fine tune this setting more.
Suspension blocks - Again after playing with the blocks, I don't really like sweep and the feeling it gives, so I moved back to the kit set-up. The rear I tried narrow, and the car didn't feel right to me, it was a little too calm and that was no good for me, and the track I race at. I just moved to a D to still give me good stability on the straight, and a little less drag to help the car get more out of its 17.5 motor.
Centre top deck Screw - Depending on the track and the tyres I remove the screw it its really tight and the grip is down, or if my tyres are on the way out. As a rule however I run it with the screw in.
Shocks - I have drilled the plastic parts in the caps to ensure that the bladder is the only part doing the work.
Other - I do fit the 6mm hubs if I go to a larger carpet track and I want more high speed cornering. I would also be keen to try these when I race outside. Also if I go to a particularly bumpy track, they help the car take the bumps and stay planted.
Overall though, I really am enjoying racing the 418. I find this not only the fastest TRF I have owned, but it is also the easiest to drive. I really enjoy my racing, and to be honest I am enjoying it even more with this car.
